Europe

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will undertake a three-day visit to Paris and Berlin beginning Sunday for high-level talks on energy, trade and defence -- sectors that have become increasingly critical amid a fractured geopolitical landscape. Misri's visit to France and Germany comes at the end of his trip to the US, where he met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a number of other senior officials of the Trump administration. The West Asia crisis and its impact on energy security are expected to figure prominently in Misri's talks with the interlocutors in Paris and Berlin. In Paris, the foreign secretary will co-chair the India-France Foreign Office Consultations along with Martin Briens, the secretary general of the French Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Saturday. Both Misri and Briens will discuss a wide range of issues, including defence, civil nuclear energy, space, cyber and digital, artificial intelligence and initiatives ...

The reaction came following Israel's recent decision to establish more than 30 new settlements in the occupied West Bank

Two days before Hungary's closely-watched elections, over 100,000 people filled a sprawling square and adjacent avenues in the capital for a concert featuring dozens of the country's most popular performers a call to action for citizens to cast their ballots on Sunday and vote out the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. More than 50 bands, all performers who have used their music to express dissent against Orban's nationalist-populist government, played one song each during the seven-hour, "system-breaking" concert on Friday. The crowd, largely made up of young people, frequently broke into anti-government chants, including "Ruszkik haza!" or "Russians go home!" It was a refrain from Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution that has taken on renewed significance as Orban has forged increasingly close relations with Moscow. One attendee, Helena Sugar, 19, said she was drawn to the event by some of her favourite artistes, but that the desire for change was the concert's most ...

When President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, he was eager to pick up where he left off by strengthening ties with Europe's right wing. But now many of those same factions are expressing open revulsion at the Iran war, rupturing relationships that were supposed to usher in a new international order. Although Vice President JD Vance campaigned for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban this week, such a display has become the exception rather than the rule among conservatives and far-right leaders in Europe. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni refused to let the United States use an air base in Sicily to launch attacks on Iran. France's National Rally leader Marine Le Pen described his war goals as "erratic." And the head of Germany's Alternative for Germany party called for American troops to leave their bases in the country. Even with a fragile ceasefire in place with Iran, Trump's support for Orban may not work out for the autocratic Hungarian leader, who fac

German growth forecasts for 2026 and 2027 were cut by experts on Wednesday as governments across Europe implement measures aimed at reducing the price impact of the Iran war. A group of five economic institutes predict German gross domestic product will expand by 0.6 per cent this year - less than half the 1.3 per cent they forecast in September - and by 0.9 per cent in 2027, down from 1.4 per cent. The economic outlook was below the government's own forecast, issued two months ago, of 1 per cent and 1.3 per cent growth, respectively. The Iran war has created an unwelcome new obstacle to growth across Europe. The annual inflation rate in the 21-nation euro area sped up to 2.5 per cent in March from 1.9 per cent the previous month. It was powered by a 4.9 per cent increase in energy prices as the war and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz sent fuel costs higher. "This energy price shock is hitting a German economy in which a recovery set in last year after a several-year downturn,"

The European Union is expanding its powers to track, raid and deport migrants to "return hubs" in third countries in Africa and elsewhere, quietly adopting tactics of the Trump administration that have drawn public criticism across the 27-nation bloc. The EU continues to tighten migration policies after right-wing parties took power in some countries in 2024. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from the centre-right European People's Party coalition, has said the new measures will prevent a repeat of the 2015 crisis caused by the civil war in Syria, when about one million people arrived to seek asylum. "We have learnt the lessons of the past. And today, we are better equipped," von der Leyen has said. The new policies, known as the Pact on Migration and Asylum, go into effect on June 12. Far-right parties in Europe have praised the deportation policies of US President Donald Trump and called for the EU to adopt a similar approach. Human rights groups warn that ...

Crowds of people protested Saturday against the war in Iran and President Donald Trump's actions, in "No Kings" rallies across the US and in Europe. Minnesota took center stage, in what organizers expected to be mass demonstrations involving millions of people. Thousands of people stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Minnesota Capitol lawn and surrounding streets in St. Paul. Some held upside down US flags, historically a sign of distress. The event's headliner was Bruce Springsteen, who performed " Streets of Minneapolis," He wrote the song in response to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents and in tribute to the thousands of Minnesotans who took to the streets over the winter to protest the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement. Before he launched into the song, Springsteen lamented Good and Pretti's deaths but said people's continued pushback against US. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has given the rest of the country hope. "

Deal marks firm's entry into Europe as it takes its zero-commission, community-led mobility model global, aiming to scale open, city-first transport systems across markets

The conclusion of negotiations for the agreement was announced by Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Ursula von der Leyen, the EU's top executive

Netanyahu said Israel and the US will continue to act with great force against the Ayatollah terror regime

A sizeable number of US Patriot air defence missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran, leaving concerning gaps in Europe's air defences against Russia, US defence officials have said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. One of the officials said stocks of Patriot missiles are "absolutely" dwindling in Europe and elsewhere because of the war in Iran, and added the situation is "pretty concerning." Asked to comment on the missiles being moved, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to AP: "The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury laid out by President Trump - and beyond.

Even before the US and Israel began their attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, financial strain among the continent's businesses was at a four-year high

A European Union border agency patrol boat carrying five people, including the Estonian ambassador to Greece, has sunk off Greece's easternmost island, the Greek coast guard said Monday. Four injured people were airlifted to a hospital on the island of Rhodes. The Frontex patrol boat sank off the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo after capsizing, the coast guard said. It did not give a reason for the sinking. Four Estonians, including the ambassador, and one Greek Frontex liaison officer were on board at the time. The five were rescued by a Greek coast guard boat and a passing sailboat and transported to Kastellorizo, from where four injured people were airlifted to Rhodes. The coast guard did not specify whether the ambassador was among the four. Last July, a Frontex patrol boat operated by the Portuguese Maritime Police sank off the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos during a search and rescue operation involving a boat carrying migrants. There were no injuries reported from that ...

While some European countries said they were discussing ways to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, several rejected President Trump's calls to send warships

The EU operation in question is Aspides, which was launched in 2024 after the Houthis attacked shipping vessels in the Red Sea

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has launched its Joybuy platform in six European countries, offering over 100,000 products with same-day delivery as it seeks to compete with Amazon in the region

Asian buyers are rushing to secure fuel supplies to offset production losses from expected refinery run cuts as the near-halt in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz constrains oil supply to the region

Air India has cancelled 28 flights connecting various cities in Europe, the US and Canada for March 1 due to the evolving situation in the Middle East. With multiple airspaces closed, airlines are finding it difficult to find alternate routes, especially for flights to the West. "As part of our continuing assessment of the evolving situation in the Middle East, in the interest of the safety and security of our guests and staff, Air India has cancelled the following flights scheduled on 01 March 2026," the airline said in a post on X on Saturday. The airline has cancelled flights from Delhi and Mumbai to London Heathrow, from Amritsar to London Gatwick and from Delhi and Mumbai to New York. Mumbai-Newark, Delhi-Chicago, Delhi-Toronto , Delhi-Frankfurt, Mumbai-Frankfurt and Delhi-Paris services have been cancelled. The flights from these destinations to the respective Indian cities have been cancelled for March 1. "We will continue to closely monitor the situation and share further

While not all individuals named faced consequences, a cluster of senior figures stepped down or lost positions after fresh scrutiny

The A-235 anti-ballistic missile system and S-500 air defence systems around the capital have advanced to the point where they could keep UK and French nuclear warheads from getting through